Prionics' Statement concerning the „Phantom of Heilbronn“
Based on several reports in the media about DNA contaminated cotton swabs used for criminal investigations, Prionics has received numerous requests for information about its forensiX products.
The Prionics forensiX products are not affected by this matter.
The cotton swabs used in our forensiX products are subjected to a special treatment. This so-called EO (Ethylene oxide) treatment ensures that the cotton swabs do not contain DNA fragments that could lead to a valid DNA profile for use in DNA databases. The EO treatment is the best method currently available and has been used for the forensiX products for over 10 years. We are proud about the fact that no contamination has ever been detected with the forensiX products.
Recently, a publication has appeared that validates various decontamination methods*. The experiments carried out show that EO treatment of the cotton swabs clearly gave the best results.
*Ref: Kirsty Shaw et al; Int J Legal Med (2008) 122:29-33 > PubMed Abstract
forensiX swabs: phantom results never an issue
Ethylene oxide treatment ensures that our forensic cotton swabs do not contain DNA fragments that could lead to an erroneous DNA profile as has happened recently in Germany.
The Phantom of Heilbronn in the news:
The Phantom of Heilbronn, the tainted DNA and an eight-year goose chase
